Jordan reopens airspace following temporary closure

Jordan reopened its airspace as of 7:30 a.m. local time, announced Captain Haitham Misto, head of the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC), according to state news agency Petra.

The kingdom had temporarily closed its skies and suspended flights the previous day due to the risk of conflict escalation along the regional borders. Israel, Iran, and Iraq had also shut their airspaces. 

This came in the wake of Israel launching a military operation against Iran during the night of June 13. The Israeli attacks resulted in the deaths of several officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including its commander Hossein Salami, as well as leading nuclear physicists.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu justified the start of the operation by citing Iran’s potential development of a nuclear bomb. The Israeli strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, including the key nuclear site in Natanz, Isfahan province. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the above-ground structures of the facility were 60% destroyed, along with its electrical infrastructure.

Iran announced a retaliatory operation against Israel. During the night of June 14, Tehran launched several waves of missile and drone attacks. A direct missile hit was recorded in central Israel, killing four people and injuring around 70.

In Tel Aviv and the surrounding areas, rescue workers were clearing rubble and extinguishing fires. Iran reported direct strikes on Israel’s Ministry of Defence headquarters in Tel Aviv, as well as on military bases.

Israel also carried out renewed attacks on Iran that same night. Explosions were again heard in Tehran and Isfahan province. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) reported strikes on military bases in Hamedan and Tabriz in western Iran. During the attacks in Iran, at least 78 people were killed and more than 320 were injured.

By Tamilla Hasanova